She shook her head in
confusion, seemingly having forgotten the whole experience. ‘Who
are . . . ?’ She looked at Ilgrin and screamed.
‘ Stop it.’ Ilgrin
pounced, but the woman fell back, more fearful than before. ‘I’m
sorry. I’m so sorry.’ He raised his hands and backed away. What’d
he done to her? His parents hadn’t raised him to behave with so
little respect for women.
‘ There it is. Kill
it!’ someone shouted from amidst an angry mob hurrying over a rise
across the field.
‘ You’ll be safe now.’
Ilgrin turned away. ‘People are coming. They’ll take care of you.’
He looked at the crowd. To them, he was no different from the
creature that’d attacked the preceding night, a monster. He leapt
into the sky.
After circling the city several times
to confuse anyone that might’ve been tracking him, Ilgrin headed
north. Once he was far enough away from the city, he flew in a wide
semicircle until reaching the southernmost farming district. He
landed in the farthest field at the back of the farm.
‘ Wish me luck,
Mother,’ he whispered at the small grey stone sitting beneath a
large oak tree.
Ilgrin crept through the fields,
staying low and weary of any movement. The distance to the
farmhouse lessened without incident. He pushed open the back door
and moved silently toward the front room.
‘ Mother,’ he called.
‘Fath--’ The word stuck in his throat.
The smell of blood filled Ilgrin’s
nostrils. Baen and Urelie were tied to kitchen chairs. Both had
been beaten almost beyond recognition before finally having had
their throats cut. A deep sob escaped Ilgrin’s lips as he stared
into the dead eyes of the only parents he’d ever known.
‘ No,’ he uttered,
flexing his fingers. ‘Not like this. It doesn’t have to be this
way.’ He marched through sticky red blood and touched his mother’s
face. ‘I brought you back once. I can do it again.’
‘ Now,’ a voice
shouted and a moment later Ilgrin found himself surrounded. The
leader dashed forward with a knife, but Ilgrin leapt aside causing
the man to miss by a handswidth. He snapped his hand around the
man’s neck and tossed him through the wall, which exploded in a
shower of wooden debris. The man did not get up.
The other three charged. Ilgrin flared
his wings threateningly, but knew he couldn’t defend himself
properly in such confines. One of the men swung a sword, but it was
wielded clumsily and without confidence. Ilgrin beat his wings
once, raised his feet and kicked him in the chest. The man yelped
as he sailed across the room. The other two imposters were stunned,
allowing Ilgrin to take the opportunity to escape.
He ran for the door, yanked it open and
leapt outside. There a fifth man was waiting. Ilgrin was taken so
by surprise that he was left without time to react. The man threw
back his arm and plunged a blade into Ilgrin’s shoulder, causing
him to cry out in pain. He grasped the man’s head and slammed it so
hard into the doorframe that it splintered the wood. Ilgrin
stumbled away with a hand on his shoulder. He looked at his fingers
to find them dripping with dark blue blood.
Fearing loss of consciousness, Ilgrin
ran from his attackers. He beat his wings, but his shoulder
screamed in protest, keeping him grounded. Something hit the back
of his head, sending him sprawling on hands and knees. Ilgrin
rolled onto his back, despite the discomfort the position brought
his wings and shoulder. A small group of men surrounded him,
carrying pitchforks and ancient swords. They looked rather proud of
themselves. They’d caught a fearsome demon.
‘ Go on then,’ Ilgrin
choked out exhaustedly. ‘You’ve taken everything else.’
As spots danced across his vision
one of the men lifted a pitchfork above his head, but before he
could bring it down a deep rumbling sound stole his attention. The
men turned around, their faces filling with terror. Their cries of
alarm filled Ilgrin’s ears as they ran down the
confusion, seemingly having forgotten the whole experience. ‘Who
are . . . ?’ She looked at Ilgrin and screamed.
‘ Stop it.’ Ilgrin
pounced, but the woman fell back, more fearful than before. ‘I’m
sorry. I’m so sorry.’ He raised his hands and backed away. What’d
he done to her? His parents hadn’t raised him to behave with so
little respect for women.
‘ There it is. Kill
it!’ someone shouted from amidst an angry mob hurrying over a rise
across the field.
‘ You’ll be safe now.’
Ilgrin turned away. ‘People are coming. They’ll take care of you.’
He looked at the crowd. To them, he was no different from the
creature that’d attacked the preceding night, a monster. He leapt
into the sky.
After circling the city several times
to confuse anyone that might’ve been tracking him, Ilgrin headed
north. Once he was far enough away from the city, he flew in a wide
semicircle until reaching the southernmost farming district. He
landed in the farthest field at the back of the farm.
‘ Wish me luck,
Mother,’ he whispered at the small grey stone sitting beneath a
large oak tree.
Ilgrin crept through the fields,
staying low and weary of any movement. The distance to the
farmhouse lessened without incident. He pushed open the back door
and moved silently toward the front room.
‘ Mother,’ he called.
‘Fath--’ The word stuck in his throat.
The smell of blood filled Ilgrin’s
nostrils. Baen and Urelie were tied to kitchen chairs. Both had
been beaten almost beyond recognition before finally having had
their throats cut. A deep sob escaped Ilgrin’s lips as he stared
into the dead eyes of the only parents he’d ever known.
‘ No,’ he uttered,
flexing his fingers. ‘Not like this. It doesn’t have to be this
way.’ He marched through sticky red blood and touched his mother’s
face. ‘I brought you back once. I can do it again.’
‘ Now,’ a voice
shouted and a moment later Ilgrin found himself surrounded. The
leader dashed forward with a knife, but Ilgrin leapt aside causing
the man to miss by a handswidth. He snapped his hand around the
man’s neck and tossed him through the wall, which exploded in a
shower of wooden debris. The man did not get up.
The other three charged. Ilgrin flared
his wings threateningly, but knew he couldn’t defend himself
properly in such confines. One of the men swung a sword, but it was
wielded clumsily and without confidence. Ilgrin beat his wings
once, raised his feet and kicked him in the chest. The man yelped
as he sailed across the room. The other two imposters were stunned,
allowing Ilgrin to take the opportunity to escape.
He ran for the door, yanked it open and
leapt outside. There a fifth man was waiting. Ilgrin was taken so
by surprise that he was left without time to react. The man threw
back his arm and plunged a blade into Ilgrin’s shoulder, causing
him to cry out in pain. He grasped the man’s head and slammed it so
hard into the doorframe that it splintered the wood. Ilgrin
stumbled away with a hand on his shoulder. He looked at his fingers
to find them dripping with dark blue blood.
Fearing loss of consciousness, Ilgrin
ran from his attackers. He beat his wings, but his shoulder
screamed in protest, keeping him grounded. Something hit the back
of his head, sending him sprawling on hands and knees. Ilgrin
rolled onto his back, despite the discomfort the position brought
his wings and shoulder. A small group of men surrounded him,
carrying pitchforks and ancient swords. They looked rather proud of
themselves. They’d caught a fearsome demon.
‘ Go on then,’ Ilgrin
choked out exhaustedly. ‘You’ve taken everything else.’
As spots danced across his vision
one of the men lifted a pitchfork above his head, but before he
could bring it down a deep rumbling sound stole his attention. The
men turned around, their faces filling with terror. Their cries of
alarm filled Ilgrin’s ears as they ran down the
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